Framed Wolf
by CrazyPandaHat05
Summary: One year prior to the Crooked Man incident, a murder case has finally arose once again in Fable Town. However, Bigby, being feared for his choices after said year, is being blamed for the initial murder! Will he be able to find the culprit before it's too late?
1. Chapter 1

It was coming up to one year prior to the Crooked Man losing his life, one year where the citizens of Fable town was drawn into a frenzy, running around in a panic on who this mysterious man's next victim was. Prior to so, everything returned back to silence, in fact to the point where it was too quiet for comfort, despite the fact that there wasn't any trouble going around at all from rebellious individuals. After all, before so, there hadn't been a killing streak in years.

However, things seemed to have grown back to normal. Everyone was going back to their everyday lives as if nothing had ever happened. Peace had finally came back to this mythological society that even have been under secrecy from those considered as normal human beings, also recognised by the term 'Mundane'.

Bigby, the sheriff of this society, recognised this well enough. Although it seemed to be that when he took the Crooked Man's life, he also rejected the trust of the citizens who had seen promise in him. But now because of his choice, all he could see in their faces the majority of the time is fear. A fear that he was used to from his distant past of killing those who got in his way, something that he was trying so hard to redeem although all that effort was gradually going to waste.

It soon came to be night time, where everything seemed to be at its stillness, the streets undisturbed from noise as the civilians were safe in their homes, cuddled into the warmth of their blankets. However, the hazel eyed wolf wasn't. In fact, he was at the Trip Trap, a pub located in the centre of town, drinking his sins away. There was no one else around except from Holly, however even with serving Bigby, she knew her place and didn't speak all that much.

Bigby reached for the shot glass, downing another small amount of whiskey, his third one for the night. With finishing the contents, he lightly removed the glass from his lips, returning it back to the table.  
Noticing this, Holly picked up the bottle but before she could unscrew the cap, Bigby raised his hand, as if telling her that he didn't want another one.  
"I'm about to leave… Thanks…" He said in a low, yet gruff voice. It was obvious that he had something to drink, considering how his words just that slightly but slurred, although he wasn't completely out of it.

He stood up from the stool and reached into his pocket, taking out a small amount of money that was plenty to pay for the few shots of whiskey that he engulfed.  
"Keep the change…"

And with so, he left into the night, all alone. This was his usual routine. Whenever he had faced a rough patch in his work or had a stressful day, a drink or two was always the solution to calming himself down. He couldn't allow his temper to get in the way again, especially considering how facing his 'other side' would never end pleasantly. Everyone knew that…

Once he got outside, he looked down one end of the street before heading in the other direction. Bigby placed his hand into his pocket and took out both a lighter and a small white and red packet of Huff and Puff cigarettes. With tilting the packet slightly, his index finger tapped the side, causing one of the cigarettes to come out into his reach, to which he grabbed it with his teeth lightly before lighting the end of it.

The puff of smoke from both his mouth and the end of the cigarette rose into the air, a light musky scent that infected the wolf's sensitive smell. However, by that rate, he didn't have anything to worry about that night. After all, although he was still cautious, very rarely was there any action at all nowadays.

"It's gonna be a long night…" He muttered to himself tiredly.

With releasing the cloud of tobacco, he gave a sigh of relaxation whilst making his way back to his somewhat rundown apartment in the Woodlands. Considering how he was rarely in the small space, it seemed to feel that way no matter what how he thought about it.

However, because of the lack of scent, what he didn't pick up that there was someone in the shadows watching him carefully, although from the fact that he got back home safely, it seemed that this mysterious entity didn't have any possible hostile intent. At least, not for now…

Bigby entered the premises. Quiet, just as usual. His eyes peered over to the guard named Grimble who happened to have been fast asleep with his hat covering his face partially. Even with the large commotion that occurred one year ago, it seemed that some things would never change…  
With one elevator ride and across the hallway, it didn't take much time before he got back to him 'home'.

He tried the door handle. It was unlocked? That only meant one thing…

"You know, you really shouldn't be barging into other people's properties like this…" Bigby muttered with a sigh as soon as the opened the door and just as he thought beforehand, he found Colin in his fable form lounging on the couch as the pig he is.

"Hm? Well you did say that I was welcome at any time…" Colin retorted sleepily, his form moving off the couch to allow the sheriff to sit down and rest.

"So, just the usual?"

Bigby nodded silently before collapsing in a drunken fashion on his love seat. "The odd break out here and there, although nothing particularly alarming… To be honest, it's became so quiet again, I kind of miss the large scale cases…" He admittedly responded, although this brought a rather worrisome expression to grow on Colin's face.

"Although the chances of that happening any time soon is not that great… Besides it doesn't send all that grand a message considering how people were killed last year."

"Yeah you're right… Even then, everyone fears me already so who knows what else will happen…"

Bigby stretched his broad form, a yawn escaping from his lips as he relaxed in the position that he was currently settled into. The comfort was enough to draw him into his own personal dream land, to which nothing would be able to bother him until morning. After all, what was the worst that could happen overnight?

Meanwhile, within the dark shadows across the town. The mysterious entity finally struck. A young, helpless woman who happened to have been working late at the Pudding and Pie was the victim, one that didn't release what was happening until it was too late. A tight grip grabbed her shoulder, catching her attention almost immediately. However, although she couldn't see a visible face with the exception of golden yellow eyes, this beings strength was said to be overwhelming.

Before the female fable could scream out for help and struggle out of the clawed grip, it dragged… No, flung her into the darkness of his possession. Whatever it was, it was quick with its job. The blood curdling screaming came to an abrupt pause within a matter of seconds, the atmosphere once again growing peaceful and silent once again. Would it truly be the same case when dawn was drawing closer and closer by the minute?


	2. Chapter 2

Mornings had always been seen as a refreshing start to the day, the moment of peace and serenity to where you witness the first glimpse of the ongoing sunrise. Although this was the case with many, it wasn't the case for Bigby.  
Instead, he woke up with a pounding headache, and not because of the overwhelming amount of whiskey he drank prior that night. From what he could hear, there was a commotion outside of his apartment door. From the constant banging on the door to the array of panicking voices from the other side, it was obvious that something was up, something that was most likely worth investigating.

Bigby groaned quietly to himself as he pulled himself out of the comfort of his own couch, his eyes still slightly bloodshot from the lack of sleep, although not by much for it to be an issue.

"I'm coming!" He called out whilst cleaning himself up so he looked at least half as decent.

He walked over to the door and unlocked it, opening it widely in order to speak with someone within the crowd.

"Alright, alright! Calm down! What's with the mob of people?" He asked, to which the gathered crowd calmed down. After all, with still having the sense of fear against the Big Bad Wolf, it was natural that they wouldn't want to make him angry.

"Someone got murdered last night nearby The Pudding and Pie." One voice shakily said, loud enough to be heard. Another voice continued to recall the issue. "The body is currently being removed for forensic testing…"

"So are you gonna stand there or actually do something!?" Screamed out another voice at the back, although it was rather angrily, to which Bigby stormed out almost immediately to investigate. However, from the reputation that Bigby has built, the crowd quickly moved to the walls left and right to allow him to pass through. There was no point in getting in his way…

He marched out of the building, quickening his pace to the point that he was running to the destination where the murder took place. Luckily, he got there in time…

The body that was found dead at the scene was placed onto a stretcher, a sheet covering her that quickly became stained with a thick crimson red liquid. Before the forensics could take the body away for testing, Bigby managed to catch up and stop them. After all, it was the only clue so far on the culprit.  
He raised the sheet without saying anything and what he seen surprised him. Below the covers was indeed a body, the lady's skin pale and cold, however what took the wolf's eye was the chest area. There was a deep hole on the left side. The heart was missing…

All that was left was a dark, empty hole…

There was only one type of fable that could do something so precise yet cannibalistic, however for so long, he always thought that he was the only one. No, it couldn't have been him. Sure, he had a few drinks but he didn't see anyone in the streets at that time. Perhaps another wolf?

"I'll get to it… Good work…" Bigby said as he lowered the white sheet and moved to the large pile of blood. There wasn't anything else that could be used for evidence. It was either taken, or completely ruined. That and there seems to be no one else around at the time that could identify the culprit.  
All there was was the Pudding and Pie which seems to be the one only lead.

He headed to the Pudding and Pie. Oh, how it brought back memories… The last time he went there was during the Crooked Man incident, when Georgie was in charge of the establishment. The last he heard, the girls had taken over prior to his death, preferably to keep a job.

The moment that he stepped in, the smell of alcohol, the faint classy music that played ever so subtly. Although unlike the last time, the atmosphere seemed calmer, considering how the Crooked Man didn't have any control over the girls anymore.

Nerissa came out of the dressing room, a confused expression immediately showing on her face. "Bigby, how can I help you?"

Unlike the others, she didn't fear the Big Bad Wolf. In fact, she was in debt to him for rescuing her and her friends.

"Trying to solve a murder case… I was wondering if you could answer a few questions."

"Of course. Please step into my office and we can discuss…"

The two walked into a small dressing room that was surrounded with make-up and lights. That's the glamour life for you. Although Bigby was focused on one thing and one thing only. Nerissa sat down and faced the male, staring directly up at him.

"So what is it that you need to ask?" She asked.

"I am looking into the murder of a young women who was found dead last night. Do you have any women who was around here last night at around midnight? He asked, to which caused an immediate change of expression within the female. It was somewhat a saddened look, one that was filled with trauma. That was expected…

"Her name is Lizzie… She was new around here… Well, she's been working here for a few months now. She got on well with everyone. But who would kill her, let alone hurt her?" She asked, her head becoming raised to look at the Sherriff.

"That's what I am going to find out… Do you have any security camera footage from outside that I can borrow?"

Nerissa nodded and stood up. Without even saying another word, she went and quickly got hold of a copy of the security footage from that night. It only took a matter of minutes, to Bigby's relief who didn't have the time to wait around.  
Nerissa came back holding a small tape, to which she gave it to him. "Hopefully this will help…"

"Thanks…" Bigby responded as he was handed over the tape, a smile edging on his face towards the young woman. "Stay safe alright?"

"Sure thing…" She softly responded with a smile. "You stay safe as well…"

With the tape in his hold as evidence, Bigby went back to the office to inspect the footage. There must have been at least something on it that could help... He was mistaken…  
He had spent hours watching the footage, over and over. Even with Snow helping he couldn't get anything more past to what he presumed. Nothing… All that he could see was this 'Lizzie' person being dragged in by a clawed hand. It was obviously a wolf, but who?

Then, an idea struck him.

"That's it!"

He stood up from the desk that he was sat at and walked over to the mirror that was settled in the corner of the room.  
It appeared to be a normal mirror until a face began to form in the middle, surrounded by an eerie, green glow.

"Yes, what is that you seek?" Asked the mirror in a deep, baritone voice. Bigby groaned lightly almost to the point that it was a sigh. He knew that his request would have to be in rhyme, something that he wasn't one to have patience on.

"Mirror mirror, to find the culprit of the murder last night, please bring he or she into the light…"

The face in the mirror simply nodded in acceptance before the image turned into pitch black. However with looking deep into the imagery, he could see a figure in the darkness, and soon enough a pair of golden eyes.

Who was this being, he curiously thought to himself. Until it struck him speechless.

The figure moved underneath where the sunlight exposed his identity. It was… him?

"That can't be possible…" He muttered to himself. After all, what he was watching was in the present time. It was definitely a glamour. But who was he or she?

Either way, all he knew was that he would have to catch him or her as soon as possible, otherwise he would be stuck in the middle of trouble.


	3. Chapter 3

"No, how could that be…" Bigby stated as he stepped back from the magic mirror, shock plastered on his expression. How could he hide something like that from the world? Then again, there wasn't much time to tell everyone, especially with dusk coming right around the corner.

He reimagined the image in his mind, attempting to figure out the location based on the few square frames that was shown. It wasn't going to be easy, but what other choice did he have? There were very few places in Fabletown that had forestry, however he would have to be quick to investigate each sector considering how they were all located some distance from each other.

Without taking a second thought, he left the office with what he knew and went to the nearest area…

It was clear that time was not on his side. Within a matter of hours of leaving, the sun slowly began to set into the horizons, leaving the world into pitch blackness for the true monsters to linger in the shadows.  
Whilst Bigby was out, the true monster came out to play, patiently waiting for his next victim to come along to fill his desirable hunger. In no time at all, his wish came to reality. The scents of not one, but two fables came along. However there was something else this glamoured Fable could sense, and that was fear. This was understandable considering that it was only just the night before where someone got murdered that night.

He awaited for their arrival, prolonging the time needed before he could strike at least one of them at the right moment.

There it is…

Upon getting close enough, he roughly grabbed one of the victims, however it was the male that he grabbed, revealing that the two were a couple. That was going to be a challenge when it came to taking down his opponent. However, the thought of victory brought a sweet taste to the Wolf's mouth.  
The two fought, and although in was a fight that was well fought, there was only just one winner that proved to be one step ahead. The killer managed to overwhelm his prey, pushing him against the wall. Without taking an extra moment which would be enough to act as a disadvantage, he produced the final blow and struck the Fables heart directly, his blood streaming down the killer's arm.

The victim's final glance moved over to his companion, his wife. She was terrified, her body trembling and big blue eyes widened. She couldn't even speak… However, she had seen Bigby's face through it all. Why would he even do something like this? None of it made sense. However, the fear has always overcame one's judgement.  
"R-Run…" He mouthed out before proceeding to cough out spurts of blood that stained the gravel below him.

The woman standing there in the light, absolutely terrified, screamed out of panic and ran away, hoping that she wouldn't be followed and mauled in the same fashion as her partner.

The wolf growled and ripped out the fable's heart, the body falling limp to the ground and in a heap. He was about to go after the women although another idea popped into his head. With showing the identity of the sheriff rather than themselves, they would be able to get out of this dilemma with ease. Perhaps the time of feeding has finally came to an end… Or rather, was it the beginning?

The night was long, the quietness quickly grew into a state of alarm the more that the news got out to the other Fables about the 'protector' of Fabletown going haywire. Not only did they question his choices on what to do with the Crooked Man, but some quickly came to the decision that they were right to be wary of his actions and were not going to let it go so soon…

Bigby had been out most of the night, which made the entirety of the situation more suspicious than usual, however he didn't have any idea what was about to hit him. He returned back from just outside the town the morning after, however with no such evidence found on the perpetrator.

He gave an exhausted exhale upon arriving, his eyes half closed and a newly lit cigarette sticking out from his lips. Even in his tired state, he noticed that something was off. There was barely anyone walking around like usual and those who were either giving him looks that could kill or running away with their children and loved ones as a precaution in protecting them. What was going on here?

It was then he finally came across the second crime scene, one that was even bloodier than the first. That sort of explains why it's so quiet but what was with everyone acting so strange around him? That was when it hit him…  
When he looked into the mirror, he noticed an image of himself stalking around in the shadows in his half wolf form. Whoever is committing the murders must still be glamoured, he thought, or somehow has links to someone or a black market where they get them from.

"Clever…" He muttered to himself as he leaned down to the puddle of blood that was surrounded by a white line where the body laid.  
"He was forced to the wall before being killed, so whoever it is must has some pretty gruesome strength… Maybe I should visit Aunty Greenleaf and see if she knows anything about this…"

With standing up onto his feet, he led his way out of the alleyway and crime scene and went across town towards the Greenleaf's address. The last that he had heard from her, she had stopped selling cheap, yet dysfunctional glamours to other fables, however was this really the case. All he could do is show up and find out.

He soon appeared at her door and knocked on it.

"Hey, can I come in and ask you a few questions?" He called out to grab the attention of the other being behind the walls.

It worked…

A somewhat old, grey haired woman came into view as soon as the door opened, a frown showing on her expression. Unlike many others, who didn't seem all too enthusiastic to see him knocking on their doors but she seemed… Worried?

"Bigby? What are you doing here?"

"I came to see if you have supplied anyone with glamours up until recently?" Bigby asked in a stern fashion, to which Greenleaf didn't take too kindly to.

"How dare you… For one, I haven't supplied or even made glamours ever since that incident a year ago took place… And secondly, you better watch your back since Bluebeard has been looking for you, and not for just a nice chat."

Bigby's eyebrow raised slightly, in a midst of both confusion and intrigue. "What do you mean by that?" He questioned.

"What do you mean…? Oh my lord… Just as I suspected, I was right in saying at the trial that you would murder someone in their sleep if they did something wrong… Expect those innocent people were killed without any reason. You monster." She said, leaving a bitter taste in both of their mouths, however Bigby couldn't say anything… Or maybe he should…

"Look, I know that it may seem that way but the-"

Before he could explain and reason with the witch, footsteps became evident within the hallway. Greenleaf's sights firstly moved to the figure that has just came in, to which she didn't seem the least bit impressed.  
"I have to go…" She murmured quietly under her breath before slamming the door in Bigby's face… Literally… It struck his face with a blow, luckily one that didn't cause any damage. It just stung like hell.

"Hey!"

The mystery figure chuckled from the humorous motion, to which Bigby looked around to see who was mocking him. After all, that was probably the worst idea with the mood that he was in. Nobody would take it so nicely if they were called a murderer and had a door slammed in their face.

The figure was a young man, perhaps in his thirties. Despite the fact that he was bald, he had a layer of black facial hair neatly coating the bottom half of his face. As shown by his tidy, ironed clothing, it was obvious that he was one of the richer Fables in town.

It was Bluebeard…

"Well, well, well… How the mighty have fallen…" He stated in a mocking yet superior fashion, a smirk edging on his face.

"You say so but considering how I haven't killed no one without a reason, you're no better… In fact, you're even worse than myself…" He said harshly.  
Bluebeard frowned, the playfulness in his tone and expression quickly changing. He was serious. Bigby didn't like that at all…

"That's not what one of the witnesses stated… She seen you in the open, so don't try to pull any tricks or even try to lie. Bigby Wolf, I'm taking you in for interrogation and if nothing comes up, we will have no other choice but to execute you before you kill someone else."

Bigby had certainly considered this situation happening, over and over again in his mind. He knew how violent Bluebeard could be and frankly, he didn't even want to think about it. All he could do was run away and go into hiding until he could prove his innocence. But until then, two certain words were drilled into his mind, two words that was begging to scream out.

 _I'm innocent…_


	4. Chapter 4

"Alright Bigby, come along and don't make such a big deal out of this. No one else needs to get hurt and frankly, I do not wish to harm anyone else unless necessary."  
Oh, the irony in that sentence, especially those specific words were coming out of Bluebeard's mouth as if he hadn't done anything in the past. It was obvious that he had gotten over his past pretty quickly…

Bigby was innocent, however there was no point in telling Bluebeard that. He would never listen to his protests. The only thing he could do now was run and even then that would make him look more suspicious than ever!

However, there wasn't much time to think about that. Bigby was quickly plotting a diverse way to escape. At the end of the hallway, Bluebeard cutting him off from his only safe way out, it was obvious that there was only two ways of going about this; the first being to attack Bluebeard head on, although given the situation he was in, violence was probably not the best solution at that time.

That left only his second choice… He swiftly barged straight through Greenleaf's unlocked door, causing it to swing open and hit the wall with a loud bang. He didn't have time to apologise to the startled woman. All he could do was dash to the other side of the room and opened the window. The second choice was to jump through the window.

"Great… This is gonna hurt like hell…" He muttered to himself as he glanced downwards onto the empty street, three floors below from where he was. Taking a swift breath to calm himself down on the idiotic decision he was about to make, he lunged himself out of the window with a great push and freefell directly towards the concrete ground. A whistling was evident in his ears, his pulled back greasy hair becoming messed up before his vision went dark.

Luckily enough, the fall and impact only took a matter of seconds, despite the fact that every bone in the wolf's body felt like it displaced itself before going back into the correct position once again. As much as he wanted to stay unconscious until the pain went away, he couldn't as long as he wanted to stay out of prison.

The moment that his vision returned, he pulled himself up onto his feet, grunting and groaning with how agonising his body was. He couldn't stop. He just couldn't…  
With looking straight ahead, he managed to get up to a jogging pace, however because of every single muscle stretching and every bone crunching together in a mess, it took away his breath, turning it ragged. At that rate, he would be caught and questioned if he didn't find a place to hide.

That was when an idea popped into his head…

There was one place that he knew that he could stay low for the time being, however this would only work if the owner of the shop was on his side, rather than prepared to betray him out of fear. He continued to run in hopes to reach his destination without getting followed.

"You can't run forever Bigby. You're hurt. Might as well just give up and come back with me." Bluebeard stated in a loud tone that seemed threatening. Or more so, knowing him, it was threatening.  
He couldn't allow himself to be caught. With an extra push of adrenaline, his speed began to increase, the gap between the hunter and the hunted growing within a matter of seconds. Now, all that he would have to do was lose him but that wasn't going to be so easy…

The wolf knew these streets like of his hand, so he knew of most shortcuts around, and there was one nearby that was definitely enough to get him in the clear. He looked around for a moment. Bluebeard was still following him.

Figures… He was a stubborn one after all…

Bigby took a turn into a backstreet behind one of the flats. It lead to a dead end with only one way of escaping. With his quick reflexed, he unlocked the manhole that was lodged into the concrete. The only way that he could escape is to travel through the sewers, the one place that he knew that Bluebeard would never follow him into.

He glanced behind him one more time before dropping down the ladder leading into the sewers, grabbing the thick metallic drainage cover in the process in order to fixate it back into his original position to trick the man into thinking that he had just miraculously disappeared. And it worked…

Bigby awaited in silence upon hearing the sounds of footsteps up above that quickly stopped. Frustrated yelled pursued afterwards, causing Bigby to sigh in relief before following the pathway to his next location.

Soon enough he made it and no Bluebeard in sights. Perfect. The place that came to mind was the Butcher Shop. Considering how he managed to stop the Cooked Man and his followers from using the back room, it came to consideration that he owed him, or at least he prayed for so. With entering the shop, he was welcomed by the timid owner himself, Johann.

"Sherriff…" He said with shock, although there was a slight tremble in his voice and it wasn't from the feeling of sickness from the surprisingly bearable stench. That's what Bigby thought. He was terrified himself. Bigby noticed that the man was crouching down slightly to the left and from what happened a year again, he knew precisely what that meant.

"Please don't hit the alarm. I can assure you that the news that has been spreading around is not true. Give me time to explain…" He quickly stated, taking one step further towards the Butcher.

Johann hesitated for a moment, wondering. Was it wise to trust someone who was considered to be a criminal? The least he could do was hear him out for the time being.  
"Very well, come with me…" He said, leading Bigby to the back of the shop. At first, it seemed to only be a cold storage area with huge slabs of meat hanging from the ceiling, a cool misty air drafting around the room. The smell of the tender food wafted in the wolf's nostrils, which brought forth his stomach growling. That reminded him that it had been some time since the last time he ate.

Upon being brought right at the back of the room, which contained a large metal door. That was when everything clicked. Everything was so familiar just by memories alone. Bigby moved forward and pulled the door up with just using the slightest bit of brute strength. This alone was even enough to bring back the pain in his body that he had previously placed aside.

The storage door opened up, wide enough to at least allow anyone to get through, however the room that was once used for making illegal glamours was practically unrecognisable. All the chains and machinery was gone, leaving a used backboard, a table and some chairs. It wasn't luxury, but it would have to do for the time being until he could clear his name.

"Anyway, would you care to explain what you meant back there? About what we've all heard especially from the witness, about not being true?"

Bigby took a seat on one of the pieces of wooden furniture, his hand grabbing his packet of cigarettes. He lit the end of one of them before inhaling and breathing out the puff of smoke, his body becoming slightly more relaxed than before. Considering how he was forced into a situation like this, it seemed reasonable to say that he was up to his limit with stress.

"There is someone out there that is glamoured as me… He or she is the one causing all the commotion and killing off others. I'm not entirely sure as of yet but as you can see, it's difficult getting around freely to search for clues…" The wolf muttered, taking another drag of tobacco.

"I see… Well you can stick around for as long as you like and I'll just place any food you need on your tab when everything is over…"

Bigby nodded as a response. It was obvious that he was grateful for the man's hospitality, however he knew he wouldn't be able to stick around for long. Sooner or later, he was going to be found…

Time had gone slower than he had expected. With there not being much else to do whilst still remaining in hiding, he had the feeling that he was going to go insane from both the quietness and the boredom. However, that night was when his time for action had arrived.  
Everything began to grow dark soon enough, the only hint of light being a small, dimmed lightbulb hanging from the roof. It was so peaceful…

A high pitched scream breached the silence, awakening Bigby from his slumber. It was definitely nearby, almost as if it was just right outside the walls of the shop.

"No…"

Bigby leaped up onto his feet and rushed out the back entrance to stop what was happening. The door slammed open, the area once again growing silent, darkness surrounding him. There was no way that he was just imagining that, it was far too clear to be just a dream.  
His thoughts were correct…

Deep in the darkness of the shadows nearby, there was an echo of a man's chuckle, quiet at first before gradually getting louder and louder until it was a fully executed laugh.  
"Oh my, you are so predictable, Bigby… No wonder you were so easy to fool when we were only pups…" Said the voice, which immediately grabbed his attention.

The mystery of who murdered those people had finally came into the light, and frankly, the wolf was more shocked than ever.  
A silhouette of a man began to slowly uncover in the shadows. Bloodied claws was the first thing that he seen as well as a set of stunning golden eyes. Slowly, the light began to coat every part of the perpetrator's being, revealing completely different facial features than before when Bigby checked the mirror but the two of them looked so similar with their chiselled features. The glamour had worn off.

"No, it can't be…" Bigby muttered, his hands clenched tightly into a fist.

"Or yes it is…" Said the mystery man, a smirk slowly growing in place.

"Hello, brother…"


	5. Chapter 5

"It's been a long time, little brother…"

"Nolan… What the hell are you doing here? Why are you murdering people!?" Bigby snarled at his relative, his teeth bared in anger and frustration. And with good reason too. Ever since the killings began, it had been nothing but a pain for the younger wolf, but now it was time to get payback.

"Oh Bigby, how the mighty have fallen… You've grown soft over these last few years, especially with being around these weaklings…" Nolan began, taking slow yet long strides towards Bigby, his grin growing more and more the closer he got, to the point he looked psychotic. He really wouldn't put that thought past him.

There was a reason as to why Bigby never stayed in contact with his relatives especially. After both Bigby and Nolan's father had disappeared from their memories, each one of the brothers went their separate ways. The majority of them however, decided to allow their wolf-like instincts and took a path filled with savagery and deception.  
As shown by the murderous look in Nolan's eyes, as well as his blood drenched casual set of clothes and claws, he not only took this path, but dug himself down a deep hole of no escape. He was used to this lifestyle, and he enjoyed it.

"I'm doing this to bring back your reputation as the Big Bad Wolf. I'm getting people to fear you just like the good old days. They all treat us strong Fables the same; dangerous and murderous savages. Which was why they are retaliating against you instead, the poor saps don't know what's coming to them…"

"But that gives you no right to kill innocent civilians." Bigby argued back, his patience becoming limited the more that he had to listen to his 'ideals'.

"Their weak, Bigby. Abandon them and come along with me. We can take this world into our own hands, kill off everyone that's useless to us… It will be paradise."

Bigby remained in silence, his head lowered in thought. He had been rather lonely for some time and everyone didn't seem to enjoy his company. He even thought that Snow was becoming hesitant of his actions after the Crooked Man incident, especially since their friendship felt like it had been downgraded to a colleague.

No…

It isn't right. What was he even thinking!?  
"I can't do it Nolan. What you're doing is wrong. I'm taking you down whether you like it or not…"

Bigby's glamour began to wear off, a dark long length of hair quickly growing across his body and face, giving him a more appropriate appearance to being a wolf. His breathing was slightly heavier than before. He didn't want to attack his brother but for the safety of the other Fables as well as clearing his name, he had no other choice.

"I'm sorry, brother…"

Nolan sneered. What was he thinking?

Was he mocking him?

Bigby snarled, his broad form lunging directly towards Nolan to attack. The younger of the two was quick on their feet, however Nolan was faster. Without even flinching or a single change of emotion on his smug expression, he moved to the side, causing Bigby to land on all fours.

"You really need to try harder than that Bigby… Or should I say 'Sheriff'?"

There it was, another comment that was mocking Bigby, to which really began to anger him even more, to the point where the fur on his body was covering his entire face, his golden eyes brightening with rage. Just by how pleased Nolan looked, it was obvious that he was enjoying the entirety of the situation.

Bigby didn't like it one bit.

He ferociously struck his older brother with his own set of claws, however he continuously dodged them one by one.  
"As I said, you're gonna have to try harder than that." Nolan called out once again. He finally stopped 'playing along' and grabbed one of Bigby's wrists, flinging him into the corpse of the woman that he had just killed moments before Bigby's arrival. However, with the force that Nolan had added onto the wrist, it forced a bone or two to snap with a sickening crunching sound. Bigby to cry out in agony for a few moments, just enough time for Nolan to claim a dominate victory. Every part of the glamour that had faded began to return to normal, leaving him in his regular human state, as what was necessary for Fables to live alongside humans so that they didn't have to get transported to The Farm.

He walked over to the two bodies, the brightness of the celestial body in the night sky coming down onto his back, making his front appearance seem menacing, mysterious and overwhelming.

"You are no match for me little brother. I'm better at this than you. Oh, if only there was a next time…"

Nolan raised his hand in the air to strike down on the injured Fable, taking him out once and for all. Bigby was done for, or so he thought.  
Before the savage wolf could claw down on his younger relative, he was interrupted by a variation of both male and female voices nearby, each pair of feet hitting the pathway simultaneously. Nolan grunted in irritation.

"Well no matter, even if you are caught, you will finally get through your head on what is the correct choice. We shall meet again brother…" He whispered roughly to the man underneath him before disappearing into the night with no traces of him ever being there, implying that Bigby, although wrongfully accused, was the one who had been behind the murders the entire time.

A blinding light soon became fixated on the blood soaked Fable, his audience simply just stood there in shock and dismay, even snow was there, and she didn't seem too happy at all about it either. Bigby was alone on it all and no one was going to take him lightly with all the clues being pointed to him.

"Bigby, you are under arrest for the murders of now three people. Everything you say and do will be held against you in the future trial…" Snow said subtly, to which two of the other Fables who were part of the crowd picked him up by the arms and away from the now deformed body.

He was done for, unless he could get them to listen to him one last time…

Immediately after the wolf had received treatment from Swineheart for his broken wrist, he and the majority of the Fables had come along in order to witness Bigby's trial and to discuss what his punishment should be. There were three outcomes to this; set him free, imprisonment or the worst yet, being thrown down the witching well.  
And he knew well that without any evidence, he knew what the majority decision was going to be.

"Throw him down the witching well!" Yelled out an aggressive voice in the crowd, which followed by an array of cheering to this decision made by the individual.

"Everybody, quiet down! We are going to start this trial. Now the assumed perpetrator, standing before us, Bigby Wolf, has been accused of murdering three Fables over the past three nights, including tonight. There hasn't been any solid evidence that Bigby did any of this, however as anyone would presume, it couldn't be much of a coincidence, that he was caught out as a witness in two of said crimes. We will now receive testimony from the defendant…" Snow stated, her steel blue eyes glancing over to the Wolf in order to hear what might be his final words.

"I'm telling all of you, I'm innocent. You have the wrong Fable. The person who you should be after is my brother, Nolan Wolf, who happens to be out there in the city right now, causing trouble underneath our noses. He somehow got a fake glamour and disguised himself as me, that's what the lady saw…" Bigby said, his tone sounding urgent, but there was no hostility at all. He wanted to get this trial over and done with the best results possible, preferably because he didn't want to allow his brother to get away with the crimes that he had committed. Not again…

"And do you have proof of your comment, sheriff?"

"Actually, I do… He escaped before all of you showed up, but I managed to retrieve this…" Bigby replied back, using his good hand to take out a small recorder from his pocket. From the condition that it was in, it was clear that he had been in a fight, however, luckily for him, it was still operational. He played the recording. With the condition that it was in, there was a slight bit of static, making the message a little hard to understand but it was easy to identify that there were two people none the less.

' _I'm doing this to bring back your reputation as the Big Bad Wolf. I'm getting people to fear you just like the good old days. They all treat us strong Fables the same; dangerous and murderous savages. Which was why they are retaliating against you instead, the poor saps don't know what's coming to them…'_

As soon as those specific words were said, the recording ended abruptly, leaving the room in an uncomforting silence.

"But wait, how do we know that you aren't just tricking us into believing what you're saying? For all we know, you could be working alongside your 'brother'." Bluebeard said whilst stepping out to confront the Wolf.

Bigby glanced towards him with narrowed eyes. "Would I ever injure myself on purpose just to lie? Only a complete fool would do that…"

Once again, the room fell into a silence. The resentful look in the Fable's eyes now turned into guilt. They knew that they were in the wrong and it was obvious that they were ashamed by their assumptions.

"Bigby, I… I'm sorry… We didn't know…" Snow said in a softened, apologetic way. As someone who had been personated before previously with an illegal glamour, she understood how violating it felt, however, she knew that Bigby's case was far worse.

"No, it's okay Snow… We will set the apologies set aside for now and come up with a plan on how to catch my brother before he can cause any more havoc in this town."

"But how are we going to catch him in the act if he's already escaped us three times already?" Bluebeard implied, now intrigued of whatever way they are going to catch this fearless beast the next time.

Bigby thought about the question for a moment, he honestly didn't know. Even as his brother, he couldn't tell exactly how he's planning on leading out his intentions. What was his next target? Then something hit him…  
Nolan was going after random Fables that he could catch off guard. With that said, there was one person that Nolan hadn't seen affiliated with himself. Bigby's glance moved over to Snow. She was the one that could help, however, it would be the case of whether she would voluntarily do it, as it would place her life in jeopardy if anything went wrong.

The two exchanged looks for a moment before Bigby spoke her name, to which she nodded and asked on specific question.

"What is it that you want me to do?"


	6. Chapter 6

Once they spoke about the plan and sorted it out, it was time to finally get everything set.

"You sure that this is going to work?" Snow said as she walked down the street in the middle of the night, grasping the phone tightly in her palm whilst holding it up to her ear. As much as she wanted to bring justice to Nolan and bring peace back to Fable Town, she would have thought that there was some other way to do it that wasn't so… revealing…  
With having to wear a skimpy outfit of a short skirt and crop top, something that Snow wouldn't be seen dead wearing during her lifetime, she somehow regretted the decision to go along with it, particularly because of her pride of her role as being deputy mayor had been tarnished.

But there was one connection that was made between those who were killed – They were all wealthy and better off than many of the other residents in Fable Town. Perhaps Nolan had finer tastes than others? Seemed possible. Although if that was the case, then that soon would be his downfall.

"I'm sure of it… And don't worry, if you get caught, you still have the gun on you that you can use until we corner him…" Bigby said on the other end of the phone. He was right. She was equipped with a small hand gun that contained silver bullets, a wolf's one weakness.

"Right…" Snow muttered with a sigh, her eyes glancing across the streets. No one was in sight. It was the perfect opportunity, but yet, being alone in the darkness, it was terrifying. She couldn't back down now. Not when Bigby and the rest of the town needed her.  
Upon ending the call to allow their plan to fall into place perfectly, she placed the phone in her other pocket before stepping under a street lamp just beside the alleyway, as instructed. For the same reason as to why her self-esteem had finally went the lowest of the low, she was starting to wish that there wasn't any lights but that was probably the worst mistake that she probably wished for especially.

The street lamp that she was standing under began to flicker every so often, a breeze of cold air trickling against her bare skin. This alone was enough to make her skin crawl and chills run down her spine.

"Where is he?"

 **I'm right here…**

Snow immediately heard the soft, grovelling voice behind her, and she knew exactly who it was. But before she could turn around to confront him, an arm became latched around her waist, a clawed hand gripping her mouth roughly enough for his nails to scratch her cheek.  
She didn't even struggle. That was pointless against him who happened to be the stronger opponent. No. She grabbed her gun shakily from her pocket and pulled it out, taking one random shot in hopes that it would hit any part of his body to give her a chance to escape from his grasp. Just one single moment…

"Yes!" She said, upon being released as the bullet made contact with the top of his shoulder. Nolan quickly grabbed hold of his shoulder, hissing in pain as he dug his claws into the bullet wound, dragging the bullet out. Snow reloaded the gun, pointing the barrel head against his skull. After all, just one shot there would prove to be fatal for anyone  
"Nice try, lady. But it's gonna take a lot more than a silver bullet to stop me…"

"And who said that she only had silver bullets to stop you?"

Bigby and the rest of the Fables leaped off of the top of the roofs, where they were hiding in the darkness in silence until the moment was right. They attacked the rogue wolf one by one. Nolan was able to dodge some of the attacks, although the ones that he did take at full force were rather heavy, enough to spill blood.

Whilst getting his senses together, he came to realisation that he was surrounded. Bigby, Bluebeard, even the Woodsman decided to join with it all, considering how Bigby and him were practically mortal enemies in the past during the Red Riding Hood incident.

"So… This is guy who framed you?" The woodsman questioned, his glance moving towards Bigby for an answer, to which he nodded silently, his eyes staring angrily at his own brother.

"You're surrounded Nolan. I would just give up if I were you…"

Nolan growled, holding his place with a defensive stance. He wasn't going to give up his life so easily, especially with how far he has gotten. "You are making a big mistake here! I'll kill you all one by one. Especially you, little brother. You will be the first…"

With a great amount of force placed on his legs, he pushed forward to attack Bigby, but he already knew what he had planned. With everyone moving to the sides or out of the alleyway, Bigby could move freely enough to attack. He stepped to the side, the moment that Nolan charged up to him, however he couldn't stop his momentum.

Nolan was panicking…

The moment that the two were side by side, Bigby spun around, elbowing his older sibling in the back of the neck, forcing him to fall over in a heap. Within a matter of moments, he began to regain his movements once again.

"Oh no you don't…"

Bigby stepped up to him, slamming his foot against Nolan's head whilst the others began to hold down his limbs, restricting his movements down to a weakened struggle. Snow walked over, giving Bigby the recently shot gun.

"You were wrong, Nolan…" Bigby began. "I am the stronger one… Because good always conquer over evil…"

With the mystery culprit behind all the murders captured, it came to the point where holding him behind bars was not an option. Just like Bigby, he got his trial immediately and it seemed to be that his future was already sealed…

* * *

Everyone met up once again at the Witching Well, but unlike the trial that was held to the framed wolf, there was no one protesting for his execution. Everyone stood in silence, quietly judging Nolan for his unforgivable crimes.

Snow cleared her throat, breaking the tension within the silent atmosphere.  
"Anyway, let's begin the trial… We have Nolan wolf here, who is under persecution of the death of three Fables as well as impersonating a member of the law… As we know, these accusations have been proven true, therefore, there isn't anything else we need to prove. And so we will now move onto the punishment… Our options are limited as we cannot send him to the Farm as he is a threat to those that were unable to afford glamours…"

"Down the Witching Well…" Spoke out the voice of a woman who showed herself into view. It was the woman who had witnessed her lover being murdered before her eyes. Her skin was pale from the fright, her eyes narrowed angrily.  
"You will pay for everything that you have done… One way or the other…"

Nolan stared at the woman, his fangs bared aggressively. "You little…"

"That's enough!" Snow stated with a raised voice, a serious frown executed in her expression. "If that's the choice made… Does anyone else have any objections?"

Silence…

"Well that's it… Bigby?" She said, turning her glance to her work partner, who took the hint instantly and frankly, he didn't take much time to act on her request. He walked up to the cuffed Fable and grabbed him by his shirt, allowing him to push him onto the edge of the well forcefully.

"Be sure to give the Crooked Man a message from me if you see him down there – Never mess with the Big Bad Wolf…"

Within that moment, Nolan's eyes widened. What was this overwhelming feeling? He stared into his brother's fearless hazel brown eyes, his body tensed. He could feel his legs becoming weak, although he was just able to stand. So this is the side of him that everyone feared…

This just proved that Nolan wasn't the monster in the situation, despite killing off numerous Fables over the last few nights. As a matter of fact, Bigby was the true monster…

With just one forceful push of his hand, Nolan found himself falling into the well head first into darkness, his screams of terror eventually turning into a soft echo before returning back to a peaceful silence.

It took a few minutes for the shock factor to die down, especially for Bigby. After all, he did just throw his brother down into a mysterious well of the unknown. After relieving a sigh, Bigby was just about to leave since he needed some time alone else where to clear his head about what had happened over the last few days, however a young fable that wasn't older than a child stood in his way, holding up a set of flowers for him. He showed no fear at all.

"Please stay with us, Mister Wolf. We need you…" The young one said, to which Bigby gently picked up the gift in his hands, the stems keeping warm in his palms.

"Why would I leave this job? Sure it may have its downsides…" He began, pausing for a brief moment to look at the crowd who held the same looks of hope.

"But Fable Town needs me as their protector…"


End file.
